Unit for the guidance of sheets of flexible material for the purpose of forming a three-dimensional assembly

摘要

An apparatus for guiding flexible sheet material for forming a three-dimensional assembly including a drive device and an edge position detector. The drive device includes a spherical drive wheel moving about two perpendicular axes. A drive roller controls the rotation of the wheel in a vertical plane and a shaft controls its rotation in a horizontal plane. The apparatus provides for measurement of angular position and for control of rotation at the end of the shaft which carries the spindle of the drive wheel. The edge position detector is formed from a strip of photoelectric diodes, a light source, and electronic dircuits providing a control signal for the drive device.